As it happened Women’s World Cup 2023: Matildas to face England in semi-final after 2-1 win over Colombia; Vine’s penalty sends Australia past France after 20-penalty shootout win

There are a handful of special moments where the whole nation binds together behind a cause and tonight’s events showed we are in the midst of such a moment now as the Matildas won through to a semi final against England on Wednesday night.

It took 120 minutes of play against France and 20 penalties before Cortnee Vine wrote herself into Australian sporting history with the winning penalty and a joyous celebration while Mackenzie Arnold’s three penalty saves has equally endeared her to the nation.

Matildas attacker Mary Fowler.Credit: Getty

England claimed their spot with 2-1 win over Colombia, a victory that was hard won and exhausting as well.

Spain and Sweden play in the other semi final on Tuesday.

Thanks so much for all the reactions and for joining us tonight. We will be back with live blogs for both semi finals so please join us then.

We will have more Matildas and Women’s World Cup coverage for the rest of the tournament so please keep visiting our sites.

Please have a lovely evening and thanks to Marnie Vinall, James Lemon and all the other brilliant Age and SMH people who contributed to the blog tonight.

Bye for now.

To be a manager overseeing that match.

Tony Gustavsson is sitting in his post-match press conference, utterly spent and close to tears, kind of but not fully understanding the magnitude of what has just taken place.

Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson.Credit: Getty Images

It’s not often a penalty shootout lasts 17 minutes, and the Matildas head coach is not immune to the emotional rollercoaster felt by everybody else in Australia.

The Swede had already ridden that ride for 120 minutes of constantly shifting momentum against France, and after that witnessed no fewer than 20 spot-kicks (and one retake) to confirm Australia’s place in the World Cup semi-final.

Click here to read the story.

It’s Vine Time, but not as you know it.

Cortnee Vine came off the bench in the 104th minute at Suncorp Stadium and then wrote her name into Australian sporting folklore.

The Matildas celebrate their win.Credit: Getty Images

The 25-year-old was the 10th penalty taker on Tony Gustavsson’s list when Saturday’s Women’s World Cup quarter-final against France went down to a shootout.

After France’s Vicki Becho hit the post at 6-6, with goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold having previously made three saves, Vine stepped up.

She coolly drilled her penalty into the bottom corner to end the longest shootout in Women’s World Cup history.

It might just be the biggest penalty in Australian sporting history, too.

“I just knew where I was going to put my pen,” Vine told reporters.

“In those moments you just need to be confident in what you’ve practised and in that moment I feel like Macca did the job before I had to.

“She’s the one that saved it and I just had to put it away.

“And I was fortunate enough to be that last penalty kick-taker that now has secured our spot to the semi-finals.

“It’s just something that I’d never dreamed of happening and it’s just crazy that it happened.

“I did it. I didn’t think I would have to do it. I didn’t think it was gonna get to the 10th penalty taker.

“I was willing to do whatever the team wanted me to do and Tony picked me as 10th - so I stood up.”

AAP

Katrina Gorry will turn 31 the day after leading Australia to an extraordinary win against France in the Women’s World Cup quarter final.

What a celebration that will be for the Matildas midfielder.

Australia’s Katrina Gorry celebrates a goal during the penalty shootout.Credit: Getty

Gorry stepped up to land the first sudden death penalty in the nerve-jangling 7-6 win over France in front of her home fans at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.

On Sunday, she will turn 31. It will be a day to reflect on an historic progression to the Matildas’ first ever World Cup semi-final after they did it the hard way.

“It was tough, but every moment we locked with teammates’ eyes we had the belief that if it came to it we could go right to the end ... to penalties ... and win,” Gorry said.

“It went for a lot longer than we expected. We put on a show. I am glad the Brissie crowd got behind us. We really needed them.”

The fighting spirit of Gorry was crucial to the Matildas’ win.

She was a major reason why France were not able to score in the first half after they had nine shots on goal.

AAP

Australia, breathe.

After a painstaking and tortuous penalty shootout which lasted 20 kicks, the Matildas are the first Australian team through to a World Cup semi-final. And no prizes for guessing who took top marks for the Matildas.

Mackenzie Arnold saves the fifth penalty from Eve Perisset in the penalty shoot out.Credit: Getty Images

Here’s how Tony Gustavsson’s players fared in the penalty shootout win over France in the quarter-final at Brisbane Stadium on Saturday night.

Mackenzie Arnold - 9.5

What can you possibly say? Move over the Grey Wiggle, Australia has a new penalty kick queen. Made saves or forced misses on four of the 10 French penalties, and was absolutely stellar in the 120 minutes of normal time making a number of crucial saves, most notably from Vicki Becho in the second half of extra time. A perfect 10? Only if she had scored her own penalty to save a nation from hyperventilating for another 10 minutes.

Click here to read the story.

It was the night the MCG – and Melbourne’s prized winter sport, Australian rules – effectively played second fiddle to, yep, the world game.

With the nation’s women’s soccer team the Matildas engaged in a sudden-death and edge-of-your-seat World Cup quarter-final thriller against France in Brisbane, it made for some unprecedented scenes at the ’G.

Every heart beats true: Demons supporters bookend a Matildas fan on a historic day at the MCG.Credit: Getty Images

Footy fans decked out in Carlton’s navy blue and Melbourne’s red and blue colours had a foot in another camp as the nation, and sports fans of all persuasions, threw their full sport behind the Matildas and their triumphant progression to the World Cup semis for the first time.

As planned and detailed beforehand, the round-ball action from Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium was shown on the MCG’s big screens until the end of regulation time – after the normal 90 minutes plus stoppage time.

But that meant, with the World Cup score locked at 0-0, and with extra time and that extraordinary penalty shootout still to come, MCG-goers instead either turned to their phones for streaming coverage or, more often was the case, watched the action from the many and varied bars at the ’G with hundreds of other fans drawn in by the moment.

Read full article here.

It had to be England.

The Matildas and England will play on Wednesday in the World Cup semi-finals after the Three Lions beat Colombia 2-1 in their quarterfinal tonight.

Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo scored England’s goals while Leicy Santos claimed a lone, but stunning, goal for Colombia after she lobbed England keeper Mary Earps in the first half.

England’s Alessia Russo , center, is celebrated after she scored her side’s second goal.Credit: AP

There are only a couple of minutes left and Colombia is trying to find a goal.

They have the ball in England’s half but Ramirez just sprayed a shot wide.

ENG 2, COL 1 with two mins to go in injury time.

Colombia is trying to push forward but England is frustrating them so far.

The 90th minute has come up and there will be eight minutes of injury time.

ENG 2, COL 1 after 90 mins.

Colombia’s Catalina Usme, left, and England’s Alessia Russo challenge for the ball.Credit: AP